Keeping up with the Joneses
by dmpotts1984
Summary: Strangers don't come to Storybrooke without a reason or a connection. Someone new in town leads Killian to face some things in his past, and Emma to play detective.
1. Chapter 1

Storybrooke was a quaint little town, nestled far in the corner of Maine. Unrecognized by maps and unnoticed by tourists, the residents content to live quietly amongst themselves. It wasn't the type of place where people simply showed up. Every time a stranger had come into town, trouble followed. That was why, on this day, when Mayor Regina Mills spotted an unfamiliar car pull to stop in front of Granny's Diner, she paused to take notice. She watched from a distance as a young woman stepped out of the vehicle and looked around, apparently taking in the new surroundings. Regina knew this had all the makings of a mess and abandoned her morning breakfast routine in favor of seeking out the town's sheriff instead.

"There's someone new in town," Regina hissed, finding Emma right where she knew she would and practically cornering her in between a row of filing cabinets.

"Well, hello to you too, Regina," Emma greeted her, an air of sarcasm in her voice as she tried to maneuver herself around Regina.

"I don't have time for pleasantries. You heard, what I said, right?"

Emma rolled her eyes, "There's someone new in town, yeah...I heard."

Regina backed away slightly, giving the blonde room to move. "I don't have to remind you what happens when strangers show up…"

Emma sighed a bit as she shoved some folders into one of the cabinets. "No, no you don't. I'll do a little digging. What does she look like?"

"She's about your height, dark hair," Regina replied. "She was wearing a black jacket, jeans."

"Well that sure narrows it down," Emma huffed sarcastically.

"She'll be the one you don't recognize. You're good at finding people."

"I need something more to go on than just dark hair and jeans," Emma perched herself on the corner of her desk.

"She's driving a red Ford. A new, red Ford. Find her, Swan. Get rid of her," Regina called as she walked out of the office.

"I'll see what I can do," Emma called back, annoyed. Tonight was supposed to be date night.

* * *

Killian didn't seem to mind when Emma called him to change their plans for dinner and asked him to meet her at the Rabbit Hole instead. He was slightly more curious when she told him he probably shouldn't wear his hook, and that she would explain when he got to the bar.

"Hello, love," he smiled, placing a kiss on Emma's temple upon finding her tucked into a corner table. He pulled out a chair across from her. "Might I ask what you have planned for tonight that requires this?" he asked, with a small wave of his fake hand. Emma knew he hated wearing it but he supposed she must have a reason.

"Regina cornered me at the office today all paranoid about a stranger in town. I figured if date night was going to be tailing someone, being introduced to a guy with a hook hand might be a bad first impression.

"She seems innocent enough though," Killian replied with a shrug turning his gaze toward the bar, clearly not interested in Emma's plan for the evening. "It's supposed to be _our _night. Do we really need to concern ourselves?"

Emma raised an eyebrow, "It can still be our time. Tonight it will just consist of questioning a random stranger."

"Well then I suppose…" Killian started, trailing off when he realized Emma was already up and halfway across the room, leaving him behind. With a sigh, he got up and followed.

"Hi," Emma said, taking seat next to the stranger at the bar. "I'm Sheriff Swan."

The stranger turned to Emma, eyeing her suspiciously for a moment before shaking her hand. "Cordelia. Nice to meet you."

"So, what brings you to Storybrooke?" Emma questioned further.

Cordelia took a sip of her beer, hoping to delay answering the question for a few moments. She'd never been any place where the local law enforcement sought out strangers and introduced themselves. In fact, she seemed to recall a few horror movies that had started out this way. It was then that she noticed the man clad in a leather biker jacket take a seat next to the blonde woman. He ordered two drinks, taking one for himself and sliding the other to toward the sheriff.

"I'm looking for someone…well, two someone's actually," she finally replied cautiously. "Maybe you can help?"

"Maybe. I'm really good at finding people," Emma spoke. "Who are you looking for?"

Cordelia pulled a tattered Storybrooke postcard from her pocket. "I'm looking for a guy named August. Do you know him?"

Emma swallowed hard, taking the card. How was she going to explain that August used to be a man, turned to wood, and was now a 7-year-old child? "I'm sorry, but August…he passed away," Emma lied. "About two years ago."

Cordelia's face fell a bit, the only link to her real purpose for coming here seemingly gone. "That's too bad, I'm very sorry to hear that."

"How do you know August?" Emma pressed, hoping to get the girl to divulge more information.

"We met a long time ago. At a bar in Thailand," Cordelia replied cautiously. "We got to talking about family and I mentioned I'd been casually trying to locate my birth father. He said he might be able to help."

Emma was starting to become a little more intrigued. She wondered what the girl could have said that would lead August to believe he could help her and what it had to do with Storybrooke.

"But then it got kind of weird," Cordelia continued.

Killian was bored, only half listening to the women's conversation and brooding to himself over being ignored. He moved a little closer to Emma and reached out to rest a hand on her thigh in hopes of reminding her he was still there.

Emma looked over, not quite taking his gesture as he intended. Instead she introduced him to the stranger. "This is Killian," she said, moving sideways so he could shake Cordelia's hand.

"Nice to meet you," Cordelia replied.

"Likewise," Killian replied with disinterest.

Emma cut back in, casting Killian to the side again. He scowled, wondering if she'd even notice his displeasure with the situation. She didn't, and continued on with her conversation.

"So you were saying things with August got a little weird."

"He started going on about some place called the Enchanted Forest," Cordelia shrugged. "Like something from a fairy tale."

Emma and Killian both perked up at the mention of the Enchanted Forest. They exchanged glances with each other that went unnoticed by the stranger. Killian was moderately more interested now.

"The weirdest thing about it was that when my mother got sick, she used to ramble on about the same thing. A place called the Enchanted Forest," Cordelia continued.

"What else do you know about your father?" Emma pressed.

"Not much, like I said, my mother told me very little about him. Just that he was a sailor," Cordelia replied. "Oh, and he might be missing a hand."

Killian suddenly choked on his beer. It went up the back of his throat and into his nose. Tears forming in his eyes, he sputtered and coughed while both women watched him with raised eyebrows.

"We'll be right back," Emma said suddenly, grabbing Killian by the arm and pulling him outside, leaving Cordelia confused at the bar.

"Bloody hell!" Killian sputtered, still trying to recover from choking as he and Emma stepped into the alley. His eyes were still watering and he rubbed at them with the sleeve of his shirt. Emma was staring daggers at him.

"You don't think…" she mused.

"I don't think what?" Killian replied, coughing and clearing his throat. It took a raised eyebrow from Emma for him to finally catch on to her train of thought. "You surely can't mean-"

"Do you know any other one-handed pirates?" Emma eyed him.

"Missing appendages are not uncommon in the pirating world," Killian snorted.

Emma smirked, "Not to mention…I know your reputation. Don't forget, I had a chance to see the kind of company past Captain Hook kept."

Killian looked at her, appalled at her insinuation. "While it may be true that I have bedded a few women in my time, I fancy myself to have been a bit more _careful_ than-"

"A few?" Emma interrupted, chiding him just a bit and rolling her eyes. "You've been around a long time. Who knows how many mini Killians there could be wandering around out there."

"Emma!" Killian's eyes widened, both from shock, annoyance, and a slight hint of fear as the thought of Emma being right crept into the back of his mind.

"Like a spider…or...a jack rabbit," she mused. "Plus, it's not like they had condoms in the Enchanted Forest."

"Ohhh, you're…" Killian sputtered, embarrassed and irritated, as he wagged his finger at her. "There are other _methods_…of preventing this sort of thing," Killian shot back, feeling the flush creep into his face.

"I don't think your 'method' is as effective as you think. Maybe we need to spend some time on the internet."

Killian guffawed. "I can't believe you're entertaining this notion!"

"People don't just come to this town without a reason," Emma replied. "We should probably get back inside before she takes off."

Killian stood fast, absorbed in his thoughts, wondering if it just might be true that he had fathered a child. Snapping himself out of his reverie and dismissing the notion he followed Emma back inside.

"Sorry about that," Emma smiled, taking her seat at the bar again.

"No problem," Cordelia replied with an air of suspicion edged in her voice.

"So, maybe if we knew a little bit more about your mother it might help finding your dad."

Cordelia squished up her face as she absent mindedly scratched behind her ear and fidgeted uncomfortably. She'd learned long ago that brevity in giving information was important. Spilling secrets about her mother's past to strangers might not be the best idea.

Emma caught the gesture, pressing a finger to her lips as she glanced from Cordelia to Killian to see if he had noticed, but it had apparently not caught his radar.

"I don't know a whole lot about my mother's past," Cordelia lied. She took notice now that the dark haired man seemed much more interested in what she had to say. "Her name was Matilda; she worked in a bar, and apparently had a thing for sailors."

Emma pursed her lips. It wasn't much to go on.

"Wait, I do have this," Cordelia rummaged in her pocket and produced a ring threaded on a chain. "This is the only thing I really have of hers. It probably won't be much help."

Killian's face paled, and for a moment Emma thought he might keel over right there at the bar.

"She didn't tell you anything about it?" Emma questioned, turning the ring around in her fingers.

"I don't know where it came from. I just kind of assumed it belonged to my father. It looks like a man's ring." she replied, taking the token back and clutching it in her hand. "The only reason I have it is because it was in her personal effects when she died…and the hospital gave me the bag."

Emma noticed Cordelia looked a bit sad talking about her mother. "You know, we have an excellent librarian here. She's really good with research. Maybe if she takes a look at it, she can find something in her records."

Cordelia's face brightened a bit and she tucked the necklace back in her pocket. "Sounds like a good place to start."

Emma smiled at her and then suddenly noticed Killian's weight getting heavier against her back. She realized he seemed to be using her to steady himself and looked like he might just keel over any second. He was leaning so hard against her that she was afraid if he toppled over he'd take her down with him. "I'm sorry," she said to Cordelia. "Excuse us just another minute. Killian doesn't seem to be feeling well. I'm just going to get him some fresh air and we'll be right back."

Emma steered Killian into the alley for the second time that night and gave him a moment to collect his thoughts before speaking, "I'm guessing by your expression you remember her mother?"

Pacing, Killian raked his hand through his hair. "I remember that ring, and I remember when it went missing."

"But you don't remember the woman…"

His head whipped around and he stared at her wide-eyed, "I've been around for 200 years. I don't remember every woman I've bedded! Do _you _remember every man you've been with?"

"Point taken," Emma put her hands up in surrender. "But...I have to ask. Does this mean you're entertaining the idea that it could be you know, true?"

"I don't know," Killian grumbled, resuming his pacing. "The woman who pilfered the ring could have easily sold it. Perhaps that's how it came to be in her mother's possession."

Killian scowled at the notion of someone stealing from him. Whoever this woman was had been lucky that he was out of port before noticing the item was missing. Stealing from Captain Hook was a quick way to a short life. He wished he had his hook. Driving the metal into a random inanimate object would surely make him feel better about this entire situation.

Emma sensed he was grasping at straws, anything he could cling to that might lead him away from the idea he had fathered a child with a woman he couldn't remember.

"I can't be this girl's father, we're the same age!"

"She and I appear to be about the same age," Emma corrected him. "You may look 30-ish, but, you're not. Also, are you forgetting who my parents are?"

Killian's eyes darkened and his jaws clenched. Emma braced for him to lash back at her with something abrasive or snarky. When he didn't, she decided to change tactics. It had been almost amusing at first, watching his flustered reactions while she enjoyed a bit of good natured ribbing at his expense. They had more information now though; more proof that it was a strong possibility he was the father of the young woman sitting inside at the bar. She wandered up to him, pressing herself against his chest and sliding her hands up his back. It took him a minute to accept her gesture of affection. Finally, with a heavy sigh and some reluctance, he hugged her back.

"Bloody hell, Emma, what am I going to do?" he mused out loud.

"We'll figure it out," she replied. "Together. Maybe you could talk to David."

"This is no time for humor, Swan," Killian grumbled, pulling away. He crossed his arms over his chest and sulked.

Emma knew at this point there was no reasoning or rationalizing with him. The only thing she could do was ride out the storm that was moody Killian. "We should get back inside," Emma spoke, waiting a moment to see if he was going to join her. When he made no motion to move, she left him with his thoughts and went back on her own.

Emma reached the bar as Cordelia was paying her tab and gathering her things."Oh, you're leaving?" she asked, knowing they had probably scared her off.

"Yeah," Cordelia replied slowly. "It was a long drive and I'm pretty tired. Figured I'd head back to that Inn by the diner and see if I could get a room. Then maybe tomorrow see where my search takes me."

"Well, it was really nice meeting you. Feel free to stop by the Sheriff station if you need any more help and I can introduce you to our librarian," Emma smiled.

Cordelia nodded. "I'll be sure to do that. It was nice meeting you, Sheriff Swan," she said, shaking Emma's hand.

Killian returned to the bar just in time to see the brunette leaving. "She took her leave, I see?"

Emma nodded.

"What do we do now?"

Emma slowly reached out and pulled one of Cordelia's empty beer bottles toward her, rolling it in her hand and mulling for a few moments. "I think I may have an idea…"

Killian sighed, watching Emma walk away as she tucked the bottle into her purse and resigned himself to the fact that date night was not going to end in his favor tonight.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

**So, a quick note. I know this plot has been done to death, giving a main character a child in some form or fashion. My goal is to try and do something a bit different. Rather than the child being an actual child, I went with an adult. I wanted to create a character that I could use as a stand alone, capable of having her own life within Storybrooke while interacting with our core characters. She can be a part of their lives without changing too much of the established feel. "Once" already has a complicated timeline, and trust me when I say that my beta/muse and I have spent quite a bit of time and thought into how to fit her into the world. Yes, I'm taking some creative liberties, which is kind of what fanfiction is about. **

**You won't find out the entire backstory for the character in this story, just like you don't find out everything there is to know about a character in one episode of the show. Where's the fun in that? I do hope people enjoy my work, and as always, reviews and comments are greatly appreciated**

**-Danielle**

* * *

Early the following morning, Emma and Killian made their way to the hospital to meet with Dr. Whale. Emma had explained that in this world it was possible to find out the parentage of a child using science, a process called DNA testing. Although he seemed to understand the method, he wasn't sure he trusted it.

"I'm still not sure about all of this," Killian said, shifting in the uncomfortable hospital chair. "How do we know there isn't some kind of trickery afoot? What if this is some kind of ruse to throw us of the trail of a villainous plot."

Emma sighed, dropping her head and rubbing the bridge of her nose between two fingers. "Not that I want to jinx it, but it's been quiet since the Snow Queen-"

"Exactly," Killian nodded "Too quiet. Precisely my point."

"And I'm not sure what sending someone to pretend to be your kid would accomplish. It's not very villainous," Emma continued.

"I've been around a long time, Swan, and have made a few enemies."

"Who'd want to send a message with a fake kid?"

Killian leaned back, trying to come up with an answer that might satisfy Emma. He couldn't think of anything, but would never admit that he knew his excuses were a flimsy way of deflecting.

They both looked up when there was a knock on the door.

"So, we're here for a DNA test?" Dr. Whale asked, raising an eyebrow as he looked from Emma to Killian.

Emma pulled the plastic bag containing the bottle out of her purse. "It's a long story, but...we need this and him," she gestured to Killian, "swabbed to see if it's a possibility he is the father…of the person who belongs to the bottle."

Dr. Whale was quiet as he slowly took the bag from Emma and giving her a questioning look.

"Seriously," Emma said, noting his confused stare. "Long story."

"I gather," he finally responded. "But, I'll see what our geneticist can do."

Dr. Whale got up, busying himself in one of the nearby cabinets and then turned to Killian, a cotton swab in hand. "All I need to do is swipe this on the inside of your cheek."

Killian eyed him suspiciously, glancing at Emma. She gave him a slight nod that this was standard procedure and he opened his mouth for the doctor. Once complete, Dr. Whale slid the swab into a plastic tube, dropped it into a bag and scribbled some notes on the front.

"It will probably take an hour or so for the results to come in. If you want to come back, just check in with the receptionist at the front desk," he explained.

"Thank you," Emma smiled, gathering up her things.

Dr. Whale nodded, leaving the two of them alone in the room.

"I still think this is all a bunch of bloody voodoo," Killian said.

Emma dropped her head in frustration. "Well, we've got an hour to kill. Let's go get a cup of coffee and…we'll try and talk it out."

* * *

Cordelia had spent a good portion of the morning poking around town. She admired the small shops, finding most of them to be run by what she guessed were local craftsmen. It was quite a change from most of the cities and various other locations she'd lived in. There was a steady buzz, but it wasn't anywhere close to being as overwhelming and crowded as Bethesda, Maryland where she had last lived. Noticing that it was nearing lunch time, she headed back to the diner for a bite to eat. She slid into a booth near the back and took to watching some of the other customers while she waited for the waitress to take her order. There was the loud, bearded man in the brown hat and jacket. Next to him was another man, wearing a security guard uniform. He seemed to be dozing off while the others around him joked and laughed.

"What can I get you, honey?" the waitress asked.

Cordelia sized her up quickly, noting the too-short skirt, bright red lipstick and the _Ruby_ on her nametag. "I think I'll have the chicken club sandwich and an ice tea."

"One chicken club and an ice tea, coming up," Ruby smiled.

While she waited for her meal, Cordelia went back to people watching. It wasn't long before the waitress returned. She'd no more than set the plate down when a young boy slid into the booth across from Cordelia.

"Hi," Cordelia smiled politely. "Can…I help you?"

"I'm Henry," the boy replied, reaching over to shake hands.

"It's nice to meet you, Henry."

"So you must be Captain Hook's daughter," Henry said.

Cordelia choked on the bite of sandwich she'd been chewing. When she finally managed to swallow, she turned back to Henry. "I must be who's what?"

"I heard my mom talking last night," he continued. "She said you were Killian's daughter. You know, Captain Hook. I wonder if you're in the book…"

All Cordelia could do was sit, frozen, staring at the child across from her. It took her a few moments to gather her wits. "I don't know anyone named Killian."

"Killian Jones, you know, Captain Hook," he kept on.

"Killian…Jones?" Cordelia repeated, trying to rack her brain. Suddenly it hit her. _Killian. The man from the bar. _ "Your mother is the Sheriff?"

"Yeah, Emma Swan," Henry nodded. "She's kind of…dating Killian."

Cordelia didn't know what to do. She and Henry sat in silence for a few minutes before Henry started to ramble on about how cool it must be to have a pirate for a father, and they should all have dinner together.

"Henry," she interrupted, trying to be polite and composed, "It's been...a pleasure meeting you, but I have something I need to take care of. I'm sorry."

"Oh, well that's ok," Henry replied, looking slightly crestfallen.

"I'm sure I'll see you around some other time," she smiled, dropping a tip on the table and moving quickly out the door.

It was time she sought out the Sheriff and got to the bottom of some things.

"How do you think she got here?" Emma mused, sipping from her cup of awful hospital cup of coffee.

Killian eyed her over his own cup. "You're making assumptions, love. This could all just be a very big misunderstanding."

"I'm just trying to piece together how this happened," Emma continued on, ignoring the hint of distrust and apprehension Killian seemed to have resigned himself to concerning this entire situation.

"If she did in fact come from the Enchanted Forest, I'm afraid I'm just as clueless as you," Killian sighed.

"How long were you in the Enchanted Forest after Neverland? You know, before you teamed up with Cora and the curse hit."

Leaning in his chair, Killian tried to think back. "A few years, I'd wager. I was rather occupied with finding the Dark One."

"Well it seems like you had ample time for other _activities_," Emma replied.

Killian scowled. "I spent a long time in Neverland, devoid of a woman's company. So yes, I supposed I indulged myself a bit."

"So then, it's a fair to say that you could have conceived a child."

Killian refused to acknowledge her statement.

"So I wonder how she escaped the curse," Emma continued.

"Again, I've no idea," Killian shrugged, growing rather tired of the conversation.

Emma sipped her coffee. "I'm assuming her mother found a way of getting out before the curse hit. I thought travel across the realms was kind of…limited"

"It seems that would be the most likely scenario," Killian replied flatly. "There are a variety of means of crossing realms, means that few know of. While it's difficult to travel, it's not impossible, but her mother may have paid a steep price to do so. If this theory is even correct. "

Emma nodded slowly and the two of them fell back into silence. Killian was stormy and sullen, and Emma realized he'd had enough of the conversation. They sat for a few more minutes before Emma glanced at the clock. "It's been about an hour…"

Killian looked up, momentarily wishing nothing more than for this unfathomable mess to be done with.

Standing and stretching, Emma tossed her empty cup in the trash can. Killian followed suit and they headed back to Dr. Whale's office. He was waiting at the desk by the time they arrived and quickly ushered them to a room.

"Congratulations. It's a girl," Dr. Whale replied, handing Emma a folder.

Emma flipped it open, "Based on testing results obtained the probability of paternity is 99.98 percent."

Dr. Whale sensed the tension in the room and left Killian and Emma alone. Killian didn't want to talk, and Emma respected that. Emma knew he needed to process things himself before he would ever confide in her and pushing him before he was ready would do nothing but drive a wedge. After a short time he stood up and walked out the door, Emma following behind. When they got back to her car, he changed his mind and informed her he needed to be alone and needed time to think. Emma figured he would probably just wander to the docks and drink rum, as he did on occasion, and she let him go. He assured her he was fine and disappeared out of her view. Emma arrived back at the Sheriff station to find Cordelia sitting on the front steps. The look on her face was all Emma needed to see to know that something had happened.

"I think you and I need to talk," Cordelia said as she stood up and dusted off her pants, her tone tense and agitated.

"Alright," Emma replied cautiously. "Let's go inside…"

"No, no. I think out here would be better," the brunette shook her head. "I met your son today."

Emma froze. _Crap._ "You met Henry?"

"He had some interesting things to say."

"Look, I know-"

Cordelia held up a hand, "He said my father was Captain Hook, who apparently is also your boyfriend? I'm not one to tell a person how to parent, but I think it might be a good idea to…you know, moderate what you expose your kid to. I mean, he kind of talks like he thinks fairy tales are real."

"This is really not a stand around conversation," Emma said. "Look, there's a lot about this town…I think we should go someplace and talk."

"Wait a second," Cordelia squinted. "You believe him, don't you?"

"Really not a five-minute street conversation," Emma repeated, continuing to try and urge the woman to take the discussion elsewhere.

Cordelia backed up. "What kind of game are you playing? When my mother got sick, the chemo made her say crazy crap. She used to tell me Captain Hook was my father, and how we came to this world from some place called the Enchanted Forest. Did August tell you that? Did he tell you about me?"

"Look, not long ago I was in the same position you are now," Emma said. "I don't expect you to believe what I say, at least not right now. But if you let me, I can explain."

Emma knew she was losing her, and it wouldn't be long before the brunette bolted. The tense silence was interrupted by a massive explosion in the distance and a plume of colored smoke billowed into the air.

"What the hell was that?" Cordelia asked eyes looking off toward the noise.

"I have no idea," Emma replied, turning her gaze toward the sound of the explosion. The cloud seemed to be emanating from the Storybrooke Convent. "But I can guarantee it's probably not good."

Cordelia watched as Emma started off in the direction of the commotion, and against her better judgment she found herself following along.

TBC


End file.
